Casing, in particular lighter casing



Jan. 19, 1954 A. RACEK ETAL CASING, IN PARTICULAR LIGHTER CASING Filed Jan. 11, 1951 Patented Jan. 19, 1954 CASING, IN PARTICULAR LIGHTER CASING Alfred Racek and Johann Raganitsch, Vienna, Austria.

Application January 11, 1951, Serial No. 205,466

Claims priority, application Austria February 15, 1950 6 Claims. i

This invention relates to a casing, in particular to a lighter casing, which comprises essentially a sheet metal body, which is preferably made from a single piece of sheet metal by stamping, pressing, and bending.

Lighters are known the casing of which consists of a piece of sheet metal which has been bent and the adjoining edges of which are rigidly connected with each other by soldering or welding. In one of these known lighters two open sides of the casing opposite each other are closed on the one hand by a trigger and on the other by a side wall of the fuel tank, which side wall is shaped like the trigger. This method of manufacturing the casing, however, is uneconomical because the rigid connection of the edges of the adjoining sheet metal walls by soldering or welding is complicated and expensive. Moreover, the joints must be re-machined for pleasing appearance.

It is an object of this invention to provide a casing, in particular a lighter casing, the side walls of which have smooth outside surfaces and which can be manufactured economically by mass production.

In the casing embodying this invention, at least part of the narrow side walls of the sheet metal body are integral with the piece of sheet metal and said narrow side walls are at least partially embraced by an open frame, which ensures that the casing is firmly held together.

A casing embodying this invention is shown in several stages of its manufacture by way of examplein the accompanying drawings.

Figs. 1 to 3 are a front view and two side views, respectively, showing the piece of sheet metal after stamping and preliminary pressing.

Fig. 4 is a top plan View showing the piece of sheet metal after it has been bent.

Figs. 5 to 7 are three different views showing contour and cross section. A rectangular piece of sheet metal is first blanked with all details and apertures required in the finished casing, to form the unfolded pattern of the casing. Subsequently the final surface shape of the wide side walls I and of the narrow side wall 2 connecting said wide side walls, is produced by pressing. The flanged margins 3 and 4 are bent at right angles, the height of the flanged margins being half the width of the casing. After the piece of sheet metal has been bent along the bending edges of the undivided narrow side wall 2, the flanged margins 3 provide the second narrow side wall and the flanged margins t the bottom of the finished casing. The apertures 5, 6 for the locking means to be incorporated into the casing, a narrow transverse slot l, and a depressed projection ii for the lid locking means, are provided in the narrow side wall 2. Moreover, the flanged margins 3 are provided with an indentation 9 and with impressed seats It for receiving fixing lugs and, if desired, with an aperture for the passage of an actuating button. The other flanged margins 4 have inwardly protruding lugs I I I2, which lie adjacent to each other in pairs when the piece of sheet metal has been bent together, and serve as supports for coil springs. To ensure an interlocking fit of the U-shaped frame to the sheet metal body of the casing, the longitudinal and lower transverse edges of said body are stepped inwardly so as to provide a U-shaped bordering I5 of the wide side faces. Finally, the wide side walls I have an impressed stiffening rib it, of ornamental effect, which indicates the delimitation of the wind shield jacket, which has air inlet apertures I4 punched into it.

Fig. 4- shows the sheet metal body constituting the lighter casing produced by bending the piece of sheet metal in the shape of a channel section,

. the flanged margins 3 and A being spaced from each other only by a small gap.

, The open sheet metal frame 56 (Figs. 5 to '7) bent in accordance with the contour of the casing, serves for stiffening the narrow side walls formed by the web 2 and by the flanged margins 3 and l, and for providing, after having been connected to the sheel metal body, a rigid casing the strength of which is equivalent to that of a casing produced by deep drawing. The frame 98, open at one side, i. e., at the top, has inwardly flanged longitudinal margins H, the size of which corresponds to that of the stepped edges !5 of the sheet metal body. inwardly bent fixing lugs l8, is are provided. at the ends of the sheet metal It. Moreover, one or several apertures 22 for the actuating are punched at suitable places out of the limbs of the frame It. When the frame it has been passed on to the sheet metal body, it is in full contact with the narrow side walls 2, 3, 4 of the sheet metal body,

Q the flanged margins ll interlocking with the stepped edges l5. Thus a casing is formed which comprises a sheet metal body having front and back walls 1 and on two sides and the bottom having double walls formed by inner walls consisting of inwardly flanged longitudinal margins 3, 4 of said front and back walls and of a portion 2 connecting said front walls, and by outer walls consisting of a frame It open at one side and embracing said inner wall 2, 3, 4 and the adjoining portions E5 of said front and back walls in snug engagement therewith. Now the lugs 18 are bent round the upper transverse edge of the flanged margins 3, whereas the lugs'IB are stuck through the slot '1 and also bent off.

Interlocking with the steps it, the flanged margins ll serve for adapting the cross sectional shape of the frame it to that of the sheet metal body adjacent to the narrow side walls of the latter so that the frame and the sheet metal body are an interlocking fit to each other to provide for arrigid-connectien (Figs. and 11). The frame it has the additional advantage of provi 5 srnooth side walls because it covers up the-apertures, lugs, the like provided in the flanged margins 3 and in the web 2. Seated in the-stepped portions 55 the flanged margins ll of frame i6 are flush with front and back walls l.

Thecasing may he further stiffened at the side wall formed by the flanged margins 3, by a sheet metal railZl, such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, for guiding the friction wheel carrier. The rail 1559f] channel; section, and its web which is somewhat narrower owing to being stepped, has

an aperture in the shape of an oblong hole and,

at each end, a fixing lug 23.. The free longitudinal edges-of the flanges have an inwardly flanged margin-E l. Before the U-shaped frame it is applied, the sheet metal rail is fixed inside the sheet metal body .with its web 22 lining the flanged ;margins 3, the upper lug being stuck through the indentations 9 andbent into the seat 30, whereas the lower lug 23 is bent around the lower edge of the flanged margins 3. Fig. 11 shows the stcpped'edges of web 22 in snug engagement with the inwardly stepped edge portions 25 of the front and back walls 1, and the flanges 21 of the rail in engagement with said front and back walls. What we claim is:

1. A casing which comprises, in combination,

a'sheet metal body having front and back walls and integral bottom and narrow'side walls, said front andback walls having inwardly stepped edge portions along said bottom and narrow side walls, and a frame open at one side embracing said bottom and narrow side walls and having flanged longitudinal margins seated in said stepped edge portions.

,2. ,A-casing which comprises, in combination, asheet metal body having integral bottom and two narrow side walls, one of said side .walls being formed with slots and the other of said sidewalls having a free top edge, and a frame -open at one side embracing said bottom and narrow side walls and formed with lugs protruding from one end of said frame and inserted through slots into the inside of the casing,

and with a lug protruding from the other end of back walls and inwardly flanged margins forming a bottom wall and a narrow side wall, said front and back walls having inwardly stepped longitudinal and bottom edge portions, a frame open at one side and embracing said sheet metal body on three sides including said bottom wall and said narrow side wall, said frame having flanged longitudinal margins seated in said stepped edge portions, and a channel section rail having a web fixed to and lining said narrow side wall and having inwardly stepped longitudinal. edges in snug engagement with said inwardly stepped edge portions of said front and back walls.

A. A lighter casing which comprises, in combination, a sheet metal body having front and backwalls and integral bottom and narrow side walls, a frame open at one side embracing said bottom and narrow side walls and having flanged longitudinal margins embracing portions of said front and back walls adjoining said bottom and narrow sidewalls, and a channelsectionrail having a web fixed to and lining one of said narrow side walls, .and flanges in engagement with said front and back walls adjacent to said narrow sidewall lined by .said web, said flanges having inwardlyflanged margins remote from said web.

5. A casing which comprises, in combination, sheet metal body having frontand back walls andv integral. bottom and narrow. side walls, and a frame open atone sideembracing saidbottom and narrow side walls theinside surface vofsaid framebc ng nu ensae mentwith th u sidesurface of said bottomandnarrow sidewalls said fram havin inward vflane d.lons

tudinal margins flush with said front and back walls.

.6. A ca whichc mpri es, i ombin tion, a sheet metal body having front and backwalls and on two sides and the bottom having double walls formed by inner walls consisting of inwardly flanged longitudinal margins of said frontand back walls, and of ,a portion connecting said front andback walls, and by outer walls consisting of a frame open at one side and embracin said inner walls and the adjoining portionsof said front and back walls in snugengagement therewith.

ALFRED RACEK. JO AN A TS H- References Cited in-the file of this patent ITE STA E PA E TS Austria Jan. 25, 1921 

